According to a report by the Physicist Organization Network on October 12, a joint European team successfully tested a gas turbine engine powered entirely by hydrogen for the first time, opening up a new way to reduce carbon emissions in energy-intensive industries such as cement and steel.
The Hyflexpower project team composed of the French energy company Engie, the German Aerospace Center, Siemens Energy, the British Centrax and some European universities conducted experiments in Limoges, France, and successfully injected 100% hydrogen into a gas turbine engine to generate electricity. Target. The experiment used Siemens Energy’s SGT-400 gas turbine engine, whose combustion system is suitable for hydrogen.
The hydrogen used in the latest experiments is produced by on-site electrolysers powered by renewable energy and stored in reservoirs before entering the turbine engines. The research team said this latest test shows that hydrogen can be a flexible way to store electricity, like batteries, with the potential to rapidly decarbonize energy-intensive industrial sites. Engie also said that cement, steel, refineries and any “decarbonization complex” industry are the main targets of this innovation.
Research project leaders say the technology would have long-term advantages if existing turbine engines could be modified to work with hydrogen through simple changes. However, Franck Lacroix, Vice President of Engie, also said that the development of hydrogen as a clean energy source not only faces multiple technical challenges, but also faces obstacles such as high costs and lack of infrastructure. Furthermore, unlike commonly used natural gas, hydrogen’s flame burns faster and hotter, meaning developers must overcome significant safety hurdles, including the resistance of the material, the protective layer of the combustion chamber and the combustion process. settings, etc.
Next, Lacroix said, they plan to use hydrogen not only to generate electricity, but also to produce heat, which could benefit the aviation.
from Science and Technology Daily
